Police: Woman Tailgates Officer Leading To Chase, Arrest

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 27-year-old woman was arrested Thursday morning after tailgating a police officer before leading authorities on a chase, according to the St. Cloud Police Department.

The incident started at about 11:37 a.m. as a St. Cloud police officerwas heading westbound across University Bridge in a marked police car when he noticed a car tailgating him at a dangerously close distance. The officer warned the driver by activating his rear lights to get the woman to create a distance, but she continued to tailgate the officer.

The squad then pulled to the right side of the road, allowing the driver to pass. The officer then attempted a traffic stop, the driver didn’t pull over and went through a roundabout at University Drive and 5th Ave. S. the driver then went westbound on University Drive with the officer in pursuit.

Authorities say the chase went into the City of Waite Park, where the driver eventually stopped near the area of Waite Ave. and County Road 75. The woman was taken into custody without incident.

The chase lasted about five minutes, going a little more than three miles at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. The driver was identified by authorities as Lisa Jean Hamre of St. Cloud. She was arrested for fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. Because of her erratic driving, Hamre was taken to St. Cloud Hospital for an evaluation before being booked into the Stearns County Jail.